Customer service with these guys was fantastic. What a great bunch of people to deal with. I had an unusual request and they were able to accomadate me. Its hard to say too much about an American company you can call with concerns and requests, who speak plain english, and find ways to make their customers happy.

I spoke with Alan and Brian in sales and was able to customize the package to my needs. They substituted an upgrade on all the surrounds to their MTM design speaker for the subwoofer! I didn't need the subwoofer since I just got a Hsu. I think I will be happier with the extra driver in the surrounds, not to mention the bonus of having matching speakers in every position except the mains.

The HTP-371T system should be here this weekend, Impressions by next week.

After re-reading I think they gave you the speaker upgrade in place of the sub. After spending tons of hours going over reviews and trips to stores I couldnt come close to this deal. I got the EMP HTP-351T 5.1 setup for $689 including shipping. I also called and talked to them on the phone. They are extremely helpful and patient. They also confirmed that the EF-30 tower is identical to the RBH TK-5CT tower. All internals are the same. The only difference in the speaker is on the top of the speaker itself isnt a glossed finish. Otherwise competely the same.
Heres a reviewhttp://www.rbhsound.com/hometheater0207.shtml
Cant wait to get them. Looking forward to hearing how you like yours. John

Damn great deal....please let everyone know your thoughts once you've have some time to enjoy the system. I've been looking at the 551T system for a while now but just can't pull the trigger as of yet. Would love to hear some feedback from other owners of this system as I've already read the limited reviews out there.

Your right. I just went and compared the specs and the composition of the speakers is different. When I called RBH, I asked them if they were identical makeup. They told me the speakers were exactly the same internally with identical performance. The only difference was the top of the cabinet was a high gloss finish on the RBH. I guess I'll be giving them a call to clear this up.

Your right. I just went and compared the specs and the composition of the speakers is different. When I called RBH, I asked them if they were identical makeup. They told me the speakers were exactly the same internally with identical performance. The only difference was the top of the cabinet was a high gloss finish on the RBH. I guess I'll be giving them a call to clear this up.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 11427

So, the EF-30 has the same fiberglass cone mid-woofers that the TK-5CT did? I thought the EF-30's had poly graphite mid-woofers and that was one of the reasons they were less expensive?

The setup I ordered has the kevlar drivers, hence the sexy yellow cones. I called about the order and confirmed that mine would be shipped with the kevlar drivers and Yup. The old stock had the poly grapite from what I was told by emp and all the new shipments should be with the Yellow kevlar drivers. EMP says they haven't had time to upgrade the website yet. I'm not sure whether the kevlar are supposed to be better or worse, I just wanted them for asthetics.

From what I have read kevlar drivers can be a challenge due to some of the pysical properties of kevlar, I hope they perform at least as good as the poly graphite. I wonder if they are closer in physical properties to the fiberglass than the poly graph? This may be the reason for the switch since the crossovers in the speakers were designed for fiberglass drivers(RBH).

After re-reading I think they gave you the speaker upgrade in place of the sub. After spending tons of hours going over reviews and trips to stores I couldnt come close to this deal. I got the EMP HTP-351T 5.1 setup for $689 including shipping. I also called and talked to them on the phone. They are extremely helpful and patient. They also confirmed that the EF-30 tower is identical to the RBH TK-5CT tower. All internals are the same. The only difference in the speaker is on the top of the speaker itself isnt a glossed finish. Otherwise competely the same.
Heres a reviewhttp://www.rbhsound.com/hometheater0207.shtml
Cant wait to get them. Looking forward to hearing how you like yours. John

Yeah they upgraded all the surrounds to the center channel which has more power handling, increased sensitivity, and a little deeper frequency response. They kept the subwoofer(I already have the Hsu VTF3-MK3) and worked out an extremely fair deal. Out of respect for forum rules and to give the guys at EMP some flexibility, lets just say it was very fair.

I left a message today to RBH about my concerns on the speaker makeup. Darren from RBH just called me back at home on Saturday to address my concerns. He assured me my setup is identical to the RBH TK-5 series. The EMP site shows the older makeup EF-30's. If you look at my auction listing you will see these are the identical speakers to the RBH's.http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=270315628676
So far I am very impressed with RBH/EMP's customer service. I am expecting to be more impressed with my new setup. John

When I searched the forums, I found few useful reviews of EMP speakers except the AH RBH TK-5C review comparable to EMP EF30 bookshelfs used in the EMP HTP-351 5.1 (Bookshelf) Speaker System. I therefore decided to take the time to write a user's review of the EMP HTP-351 5.1 (Bookshelf) Speaker System and Onkyo 606 receiver for any others that are interested in EMP speakers.

Below is a link to my review of an EMP HTP-351 5.1 (Bookshelf) Speaker System (list $1319, sale $489 AH Store (list $1196 EMP website.)). (I am no expert, but the review answers some significant questions.) It also includes links to other EMP information, including the RBH TK-5C equivalent review and the discussion leading to a buy decision where Gene (AH President) offers some good new EMP insights and recommendations.

After hearing the EMP HTP-351 5.1 (Bookshelf) speaker system for myself, I think it is probably competitive at it's retail price and definitively is a great value on sale (60% off AH Store limited time). Where else can you get an enthusiast-quality 5.1 speaker system for $489, including a good subwoofer which is worth the package price alone?

Reviewed in conjunction with the Onkyo 606 receiver's Audyssey system, the subwoofer was smoothly integrated into overall speaker system so that the bookshelf speakers worked out fine in a large room without the need for towers. (The comparable 351T tower system now appears to be back up to full retail at $1870 on the Audioholics site, and $1682 on the EMP website, but there are other tower (and other) EMP systems still on sale at these sites.)

I thought the subwoofer (using Audyssey) was worth the system price by itself, although the other speakers are equally good. In perspective, I have got a SVS PB12+2 subwoofer, so I have that basis for judging. (This system was for my brother). There are a lot of possibilities at this price and not much money to risk. You could probably use the system for awhile and if later upgrading, sell it to a friend or relative for what you paid or more and it would still be a good deal for both parties. Also there is a 14 day return policy.

I got the system unpacked and setup today. The packing was sufficient even though there were some punctures in the boxes. I didn't let the fedex driver leave until I had inspected all of those....

OK so I received 2-30 towers and 5-30 center channels. Total of 7.0 replacing my frankenstein Yamaha system.

My previous system had mixes of driver sizes and material type. Needless to say even with the Pio vsx-03's MCCAC eq. the system still was out of symmetry.

Impressions wow the quality of these is impeccable. I inspected each speaker during unloading, looking for something to critique....nothing. Even the adhesive on the surrounds of the drivers and the inner cones of the drivers was applied with precision and accuracy. Not a wavy line of adhesive sticking out, but one even line where the two materials meet. Cabinets, veneers and all other workmanship, flawless to my eyes. Even the speaker grilles made out of MDF CNC milled and material applied with almost artistic workmanship.

I will say the tweeters on this system are quite warmer than the tweeters on the Yamaha system. This is good, because those titanium tweeters could be quite harsh at times. By warmer I do not mean they are inferior, quite the opposite. I thought they were much more clear and balanced, never sounding harsh or unnatural.

The standout quality of this system for me was uniformity or symmetry. This contributed to the overall envelopment of the sound. I think it has to do with all the drivers being of the same size and material. Actually all of the speakers are practically the same with each having two 5.25" drivers and a silk tweeter each. I know they are not exactly the same, towers have that 8" filling in, and the center/surrounds are MTM while the mains are TMM.

Summary: I would easily bought this system again for the price paid. I would probably even paid the retail price If I knew what these were capable of. Strong points include the smoothness of treble coming from those silk tweeters. I have been able to run more gain on the AVR without being fatigued with the harshness of the treble. Secondly, Symmetry, Symmetry. Symmetry, this system dissappears into my viewing area. I had problems with being able to localize the surrounds and mains before. This system seems to be more cohesive and less modular with respect to the sound. If it were not for those stiking yellow drivers(I took off the covers b,cuz they look rad) they would completely dissapear in the envelopment.

Two big thumbs up!!! If they go on sale again, I'm buying an extra set!!!

EMP told me the 351 and 371 packages are better quality speakers. I have my package on the way. You can still get these on sale from EMP on ebay where I purchased mine. They only have a few of these set left though. Check my link above.

The 351 package will have more bass and slightly better sound. But the speakers are also bigger in size if that is an issue and are a little more money. Check out the review of the 551 package. It got a great review.http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/s...speaker-system

The 351 package will have more bass and slightly better sound. But the speakers are also bigger in size if that is an issue and are a little more money. Check out the review of the 551 package. It got a great review.http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/s...speaker-system

Point taken. Do more research on RBH speakers as that is what these are. I did a ton and RBH has a very good rep for high quality products.

I agree.

Or ask someone who has them. Of the people who have actually purchased them I have not heard a single bad review. Actually I have not heard a bad review period, and believe me I looked.

A lot of hoopla has been made of audioholics conflict of interest with the EMP line. I agree a reviewer should be objective, and not have a vested interest in the products success or failure.

However, audioholics reviewed the RBH speakers way before EMP was even around and gave them excellent marks even at their substantial retail price point. This should be a testament to at least the speakers shared by the two. Call the EMP telephone line and the voice on the other end says RBH sound, my credit card statement says RBH sound. Before I got caught up in all this I had never heard of RBH sound, but from what I have heard and read, they are a quality entry level audiophile product. RBH has been around for a while making good stuff that has receeived positive reviews time after time, even before audioholics re-stated their position on the EMP line.

Furthermore, audioholics is a time tested resource , with thousands of reviews. They also sell speakers from Yamaha and Infinity, televisions from Panasonic and Samsung, players and AVRs from Marantz and Yamaha.

I just ordered the 351T package. It will be awhile before I can put up a review as my room is being remodeled. I couldn't be happier with the customer service I received, everyone I talked to was very helpful and really went the extra mile to make sure I was satisfied. I can't wait to get everything hooked up!

If/when any of you guys run auto eq(MCCAC, Audessey, or YPAO) on your EF30C please share eq settings. Either PM me or drop something here. I have been toying with my eq settings but haven't found what I like yet.

I attempted to order the 351 off of audioholics last night and the sale went through perfectly and my card was charged. I received free shipping, as per their ad, which was really suprising because I live in Alaska. I get an email today with some crap saying that their computer system defaulted on Alabama (I put in my Alaska zipcode to calculate shipping) and they wouldn't honor the sale. I was going to cancel the sale last night myself because after purchasing I found a few negative reviews (on their website) and only a couple of positive things from any neutral parties on here. The one guy that keeps posting about it on here posted in almost every thread on audioholics about it, about 5 pages, repping the system. So often that I began to think that I had been taken. It doesn't bother me that they cancelled the sale, I think I can get better for the same price. It just bothers me that they gave a bull crap excuse about a computer malfunction to get out of the sale. I won't do business with them again.

I attempted to order the 351 off of audioholics last night and the sale went through perfectly and my card was charged. I received free shipping, as per their ad, which was really suprising because I live in Alaska. I get an email today with some crap saying that their computer system defaulted on Alabama (I put in my Alaska zipcode to calculate shipping) and they wouldn't honor the sale. I was going to cancel the sale last night myself because after purchasing I found a few negative reviews (on their website) and only a couple of positive things from any neutral parties on here. The one guy that keeps posting about it on here posted in almost every thread on audioholics about it, about 5 pages, repping the system. So often that I began to think that I had been taken. It doesn't bother me that they cancelled the sale, I think I can get better for the same price. It just bothers me that they gave a bull crap excuse about a computer malfunction to get out of the sale. I won't do business with them again.

It sucks your order fell through, good luck getting "free shipping to Alaska." Man you guys are waaaaaaaaaaay up there!!